


end of the day

by icecreamhour



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, boys being dumb about their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22948642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icecreamhour/pseuds/icecreamhour
Summary: "You fake date Jaebeom, then Jinyoung gets jealous.”“Does that even work?” Jaebeom sighs.“Definitely,” Jackson says with complete confidence. “100% of the time it ends in a real relationship.”Mark rolls his eyes, knowing that it’s all Jackson’s elaborate plan to get Jaebeom and Mark together. He admires Jackson’s optimism, but he knows it’s not going to happen. Jaebeom is never going to look at him that way. Not when Jinyoung is right there, and so obviously Jaebeom’s soulmate.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Mark Tuan
Comments: 10
Kudos: 174





	end of the day

**Author's Note:**

> mention of side wonpil/jinyoung  
> and obviously jjp, but i didn't tag them since they aren't endgame

“I’m screwed,” Jaebeom says, sitting down at their usual lunch table on campus. 

“Why? What’s going on?” Jackson asks, looking fully concerned. 

“Jinyoung has a boyfriend now.” Jaebeom huffs. “He’s dating Kim Wonpil.” 

“Oh,” Jackson frowns. “Why didn’t you just tell him you like him?” 

“It’s not that simple!” Jaebeom explains. “We’ve been best friends for years, you think I want to mess that up?” 

“Well, what else were you going to do?” Mark finally chimes in. It’s an age old story. Jaebeom pines away for Jinyoung. While Mark watches. While Mark himself pines away for Jaebeom, who’s never going to notice him, because he’s too busy looking at Jinyoung.

“I think I have an idea,” Jackson says, putting down his fork. “Fake date someone.” 

“Who would I even fake date?” Jaebeom asks. 

“Easy,” Jackson shrugs. “Mark.” 

“Whoa, wait a second,” Mark says, rubbing his palm against his forehead. He’s going to kill Jackson for even throwing his name out there in the first place. “Why me?” 

“It’s easy,” Jackson says, looking at Mark. He starts giving him the  _ look,  _ the one where Jackson says with his eyes  _ you like Jaebeom so say yes I’m helping you out. _ “You fake date Jaebeom, then Jinyoung gets jealous.” 

“Does that even work?” Jaebeom sighs. 

“Definitely,” Jackson says with complete confidence. “100% of the time it ends in a real relationship.” 

Mark rolls his eyes, knowing that it’s all Jackson’s elaborate plan to get Jaebeom and Mark together. He admires Jackson’s optimism, but he knows it’s not going to happen. Jaebeom is never going to look at him that way. Not when Jinyoung is right there, and so obviously Jaebeom’s soulmate. 

“I’m not doing it,” Mark huffs. “What do I even get out of it?” 

“Please, Mark,” Jaebeom says, trying his best to sound cute. “Please, please do it for me.” 

Mark wants to die, mostly because he can’t say no to Jaebeom. He never says no to Jaebeom. It’s just like when he got stuck taking a class he hated, just because Jaebeom begged him to take it with him. When it comes down to it, Mark was never going to say no in the first place. If anything, this is his one chance— his only chance— to know what it’s like to date Jaebeom. 

“Fine,” Mark grumbles. “I’ll do it.” 

“Great!” Jackson says, clapping his hands together. “Now that’s settled, please hold hands because Jinyoung is walking into the cafeteria as we speak.” 

Without hesitation, Jaebeom reaches over the table and holds Mark’s hand. It’s so soft, and Jaebeom’s hands feel nice and warm in contrast to Mark’s always cold hand. Mark rubs his thumb against Jaebeom’s hand, and it almost feels real. 

Until Jinyoung plops himself down on the seat next to Jaebeom. 

“Oh,” Jinyoung says, staring at their entwined hands. “Is this new?” 

Mark feels Jaebeom’s hand freeze up, and when Mark looks at his face, he can tell that Jaebeom can’t find the right words to put together. 

“We’ve actually been dating for a while now,” Mark tells him. “We were just really shy about telling everyone.” 

“Oh,” Jinyoung says again, but this time sounding a little sad. “How long?” 

“Since we took that class together,” Mark says, and squeezes Jaebeom’s hand. “Right, babe?” 

“Yeah,” Jaebeom nods. He smiles, and Mark’s heart jumps just a tiny bit. 

“That’s a long time,” Jinyoung comments. “I can’t believe I didn’t know.” 

“Mark has to go to class now,” Jackson says, trying to push him out of his seat. “Jaebeom was going to walk him out.” 

Mark and Jaebeom both awkwardly stand up from the table, still hand in hand. Mark waves goodbye to Jackson and Jinyoung with his free hand.

Mark and Jaebeom walk across campus, still holding hands. It makes Mark giddy, just thinking about how this is what it’d be like. Dating Jaebeom. Walking each other to class, holding hands, and maybe kissing each other goodbye. 

“So,” Jaebeom says, stopping in his tracks. 

“What?” Mark asks. 

“How did you come up with that story so quickly?” Jaebeom asks. “The look on his face when you said that we’d been dating a long time really got him.” 

“Oh, that,” Mark says. “I was just thinking about how you’ve been friends for a long time, and he’d probably be really hurt if you were keeping a secret from him.” 

“You’re a genius, Mark,” Jaebeom cries out. Jaebeom lets go of his hand, and places both of his hands on Mark’s cheeks, and plants a giant kiss against his forehead. “You’re the best.” 

Mark feels like his heart is about to beat right out of his chest, with the way that Jaebeom’s looking at him right now. He knows it’ll never, ever be anything other than platonic, but Mark was going to take whatever he could get. Mark just nods, and places his hand over one of Jaebeom’s, still holding it against his cheek. 

“You’d do the same for me,” Mark says. 

“I’ll see you after class?” Jaebeom asks. 

“Yeah,” Mark breathes out. “I’ll see you.” 

* * *

The rest of the week goes by smoothly. Anytime Jinyoung’s around, Jaebeom plays up his affection. It’s adorable, and Mark tries to ignore the fact that it’s all show, just for Jinyoung. They’re all sitting at a booth in a cafe off campus, and Jaebeom has his arm wrapped around Mark. Jaebeom’s hand rests around Mark’s waist, secure, and holding him closer than needed. Jinyoung is sitting across from them, alone, since they were waiting for Wonpil to show up. 

Jinyoung hasn’t been very warm to Mark lately. Mark doesn’t know what it is, but they don’t talk anymore like they used to. They were friends because Jaebeom introduced him, just like how Mark introduced Jaebeom to Jackson and BamBam. 

Jaebeom leans over, and covers his mouth with his hand. He gets close to Mark’s ear, and Mark wonders if this is part of the act, too. 

“I’ll be right back,” Jaebeom whispers. “I’m just going to find Jackson so he knows where to meet us.” 

Jaebeom pulls his hand away, and Mark smiles back at him. He just nods, and Jaebeom finally gets up and leaves the booth. It felt a lot colder now, since Jaebeom wasn’t next to him anymore. 

Mark looks back up at Jinyoung, only to find him staring at him with the coldest stare he’s ever seen. Usually, he’d only ever seen Yugyeom at the end of it. 

“I’ve been friends with Jaebeom for over ten years,” Jinyoung says, crossing his arms. “I really don’t like how you guys kept this a secret from me.” 

“Is what goes on between me and Jaebeom any of your business?” Mark asks. 

“Like I said, he’s my best friend,” Jinyoung shrugs. “If this ends badly, don’t expect me to be your friend after all of this.” 

“How can you be so sure I’ll break Jaebeom’s heart?” Mark asks. He’s almost offended, given the fact that Mark has been pining for him for the last four years. The nerve of  _ Park Jinyoung _ . If anyone was going to break someone’s heart, it was definitely going to be Mark’s. He’s already halfway there. Especially if Jinyoung was going to keep acting this way. 

“You don’t know Jaebeom like I do,” Jinyoung replies. “I just know.” 

“Whatever,” Mark says, completely dismissing Jinyoung. “I can’t expect you to understand.” 

Before Jinyoung gets a chance to respond, Jackson, BamBam, and Jaebeom arrive and they all sit down in the booth to join them. Jaebeom is sitting next to Mark again, with his left hand around Mark’s waist, while he eats with his right. Mark wonders how Jinyoung can be so blind, when someone as great as Jaebeom is literally sitting right in front of him. 

* * *

They don’t kiss. 

Mark and Jaebeom never talked about it, or set any boundaries. It’s funny, though, because they do end up holding hands a lot, even when Jinyoung isn’t around. When Jaebeom walks Mark to class, or vice versa, they usually never see Jinyoung around on campus. Jaebeom still insists on holding hands, because it’s good practice. They need to get comfortable around each other, and Mark just goes with it, because Jaebeom’s hands are so nice and warm. 

Today is different, though. 

Jackson, BamBam, Yugyeom, Youngjae and Jinyoung are all waiting outside Jaebeom’s lecture hall with him because he has a big exam today. They all came to wish him luck, and Mark’s just happy to be able to hold Jaebeom’s hand to help him calm down his nerves. 

“You’ll do great,” Mark says, squeezing Jaebeom’s hand. “You studied so hard for this, and you’ll pass with flying colors.” 

“Thanks, Mark.” Jaebeom says, squeezing Mark’s hand back. It’s the moments that he gets like this, that make Mark forget that it’s all fake. 

The lecture hall finally opens, and all the students start walking inside to sit down to take their exam. Jaebeom still has another five minutes until he has to be inside, so he takes a moment to say goodbye to everyone. 

Just as Jaebeom’s about to go inside the lecture hall, Mark pulls him back. It’s impulsive, and maybe a little stupid, but he does it anyway. 

Mark cups Jaebeom’s face in his hands, and places a soft kiss against Jaebeom’s lips. He doesn’t hold him for too long, and when he pulls away, he notices the slight flush across Jaebeom’s cheeks, and Mark can feel his face get warm under his hands. 

“Good luck,” Mark whispers. 

Jaebeom waves one final goodbye, and they all watch as the doors to the lecture hall close. It’s quiet, and Jackson walks up behind Mark to give him a pat on the back. 

“You guys are so gross,” BamBam comments. “Kissing in public now?” 

“You’re just jealous because you don’t have anyone to kiss, Bam,” Mark replies. “Jaebeom has a really nice mouth.” 

“Ewwwww,” BamBam says, covering his ears. “I don’t need to hear this.” 

Mark ignores Jinyoung’s glare. It was getting old at this point, but also a little entertaining. Mark was just sad that the plan was actually working, and it was against Mark’s favor. He just had a sliver of hope, that maybe Jaebeom would actually see him. 

* * *

Jaebeom is confused. 

He’d thought about it a lot. Jaebeom liked Jinyoung. He had for years. 

It’s just that when he was with Mark, everything felt good. The way that Mark smiled at him, and how perfectly they fit together was making Jaebeom reevaluate his entire life. 

Jaebeom shakes his head, and gets through his exam. He’d spent hours studying for it in the library, and Mark had come by often to bring him treats and snacks. Jaebeom had told Jinyoung he would be there, too, only he never showed up. 

He manages to finish his exam fifteen minutes early, and Jaebeom flips through the pages to check his answers one last time. Everything looks solid. Jaebeom believed he could pass the test, and Mark’s support gave him a lot of strength. 

Jaebeom stands up, and brings his test to the front of the room. He hands it off to the professor, and turns on his heel to leave the lecture hall. 

There are students lined up outside, waiting for the room to open for their next class. Jaebeom scans the crowd, wondering if any of his friends stayed. He then spots Mark, over by the vending machines with Jinyoung. Jaebeom nearly runs over, and Jaebeom holds Mark’s hand again. 

“Hey,” Jaebeom smiles. 

“Hey yourself,” Mark laughs. “What’s gotten into you?” 

“I think I did really well,” Jaebeom says, almost bouncing. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Mark kissed him, right before the exam. He stares down at Mark’s lips, and wonders, have they always been this pretty? Jaebeom doesn’t think anymore, and pushes Mark against the vending machine. 

“What are you doing?” Mark asks. 

“I can’t kiss my boyfriend?” Jaebeom asks. Jaebeom’s face is just inches away from Mark’s, and he leans in closer, just to return the kiss that Mark had given him earlier. “It was a really nice good luck charm.” Jaebeom says, breathing right against his lips. 

“Um,” Jinyoung coughs. “I’m right here.” 

“We’ll see you later, Jinyoung,” Jaebeom says, not even looking at him. It was impossible to look at him now, especially when Mark was right in front of him. Mark was right in front of him this whole time. 

* * *

Jaebeom doesn’t know what’s fake anymore. 

Everything’s the same, and they continue doing the same things they did before. Only with the added benefit that Mark will kiss him goodbye anytime they leave each other for an extended period of time. Only, Jaebeom notices that Mark will only do it if Jinyoung is there. 

Jaebeom doesn’t know how to talk about it, or confront the situation. Now he wonders if there’s even a chance if Mark likes him. 

They’re back at their usual table in the cafeteria, and Mark is squeezed so close next to Jaebeom, even though it was entirely unnecessary. The table was big enough for the seven of them, and additional guests if anyone ever brought any. 

Everyone is goofing around, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Jackson asks the strangest question. 

“Jaebeom, who do you think out of all of us has the prettiest lips?” Jackson asks. 

“It’s obvious he’s just going to pick his boyfriend,” BamBam sighs. “Let’s be honest, because I’m right here.” 

“Ok, if you weren’t dating Mark, what would your ranking be?” Jackson asks again. 

“Easy,” Jaebeom shrugs. “Mark, Jinyoung, BamBam.” 

“He still picked Mark first,” BamBam pouts. 

“Why am I only second?” Jinyoung asks, sounding offended. “You always told me my lips were the prettiest.” 

“It’s different,” Jaebeom waves his hand. “I always thought Mark had the prettiest lips, even before we started going out.” 

“Ooooooh,” Yugyeom says. “You’re so cheesy.” 

“Reminds me,” Jackson says, interrupting the conversation. “How are things going with Wonpil?” Jackson asks. 

“We got in a fight recently,” Jinyoung says honestly. 

Jaebeom goes stiff at that. Jinyoung never told him about that either, and they told each other everything. At least, they used to. 

“You never told me about that,” Jaebeom says, trying his best to comfort Jinyoung. 

“We don’t talk anymore,” Jinyoung frowns. “You don’t have time for me anymore, not since you and Mark went public.” 

The table goes silent. 

“I think I have to be somewhere, right now,” Mark says. 

The others don’t even say anything, and they all watch in silence as Mark leaves the cafeteria. 

“Can we talk?” Jaebeom asks Jinyoung. “Outside?” 

* * *

Mark’s an idiot. 

He’s an idiot for ever thinking that what he had with Jaebeom was real. It’s just that Jaebeom was so good, so attentive, and so loving lately, that Mark wanted to believe that it was. The reality just didn’t set in, especially today, when Jinyoung confessed to having a fight with Wonpil. 

He’s sitting under a tree outside, with his knees huddled against his chest. Mark makes himself as small as possible, trying to hide away from the world. 

Mark rubs at his eyes, and tries not to cry. It’s his own fault for getting attached, and Mark wishes he hadn’t agreed to this stupid arrangement in the first place. He’s about to pick up his stuff and just go home for the day, until he notices Jaebeom and Jinyoung, talking on one of the benches near his tree. 

He’s just close enough that he can overhear their entire conversation. 

“I was really hurt when you didn’t tell me about Mark,” Jinyoung says bluntly. “You never talk to me anymore.” 

“You never talk to me anymore either,” Jaebeom sighs in frustration. “How was I supposed to know how you feel?” 

“Aren’t you supposed to know how I feel?” Jinyoung says back. 

“Am I?” Jaebeom replies. “Last time I checked, I’m not your boyfriend.” 

“I didn’t say you were,” Jinyoung says back. “It’s just, that I—” 

Mark watches, and it feels like a punch in the gut. Jinyoung is kissing Jaebeom. 

It feels wrong to watch. He wonders if this is how Jinyoung felt, having to watch Jaebeom and Mark do the same thing. 

At least now, Mark knew where Jaebeom’s heart was. It was never with Mark, and he didn’t even have a chance. 

* * *

Mark walks to class alone. It’s different, since he’d gotten so used to coming with Jaebeom. Even some of his classmates asked where he was, because Jaebeom had always walked with Mark right inside the classroom. 

He doesn’t answer, and shrugs it off. It was going to be a long day of classes, especially if he was trying to ignore Jaebeom. 

It ends up being incredibly hard to ignore him. 

Jaebeom was everywhere. 

He was waiting outside Mark’s classroom, and Jaebeom still sat at their regular table in the cafeteria. Only, Jinyoung was nowhere in sight. 

Mark ignores him, and goes back to sit at the same tree he went to yesterday. He feels just as small, and he wonders if Jaebeom is happy now, that Jinyoung finally likes him back. 

He wipes his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. He’s not going to cry, not over a guy like Jaebeom. Mark wasn’t going to cry, because they weren’t even really dating. Mark just feels stupid, crying over a relationship that wasn’t even real. 

“Why are you crying?” Jaebeom asks. He sits next to Mark, and wraps his arm around him, the same way he always did. 

“I saw you yesterday,” Mark hiccups. “With Jinyoung.” 

“How much did you see?” Jaebeom asks, rubbing his hand gently up and down Mark’s shoulder. 

“You kissed and then I left,” Mark sniffles. 

“If you stuck around, you would’ve seen me pushing Jinyoung away,” Jaebeom tells him, and he continues soothing Mark. “I’ve thought about it a lot, and I don’t think Jinyoung and I were meant to be together that way.” 

“What do you mean?” Mark asks. “I thought—” Mark stutters. “I thought that you were in love with him.” 

“That’s what I thought, too.” Jaebeom laughs. “Then we kissed,” Jaebeom explains. “And I realized that it didn’t feel right, because it wasn’t you.” 

“You—” Mark looks at Jaebeom, and for once, Jaebeom is finally looking back at him. “Do you mean that?” 

“I like you,” Jaebeom confesses. “I like you, and if you would have me, I’d really like to date you.” Jaebeom smiles. “For real.” 

“Is this real?” Mark asks. “Is this actually real?” 

“It’s as real as you want it to be,” Jaebeom says, and finally kisses Mark. It’s still soft and sweet, but this time, Jaebeom doesn’t hold back. “I’m sorry for not realizing sooner,” Jaebeom says, just inches away from his lips. 

“It’s okay,” Mark says. His heart is pounding again, and he’s just so, so happy. “We’re here now. It’s all that matters.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/peachzoned) now! (sort of, i've been on twitter, but that's a long story) come say hi if you want!


End file.
